Falcon And The Winter Soldier “New World Order” Review
Falcon And The Winter Soldier “New World Order” is the first episode in Disney+ new series of the same title. The second of Marvel’s original mini series’. This one revolves around Sam Wilson (Falcon) and Bucky Barnes (The Winter Soldier) just months after the events of Endgame.
Plot
The episode begins with Sam on a mission to extract an American soldier from terrorists causing all kinds of chaos in Europe. Not much is mentioned about the organisation at all and they’re obviously very organised. The mission is cleared via a massive flight action scene. One of the best scenes in the show. And Sam is off home. Before he can get there though, he’s warned of the “flag smashers.” A bunch of pretty organized bad guys who believed the world was better during the time of “the blip.” Marvel continue to call it that. I’m calling it the snap because it’s better. Sorry Marvel.
Cut to Bucky and he’s “doing a Bucky” and slaughtering some people. Except he’s not and it was all a nightmare / memory from his past as a Hydra agent. Something that obviously still traumatises him. He’s free to live life as a civilian as long as he sticks to his therapist’s program. Whilst also going around and making amends for the atrocities done by him whilst he wasn’t himself.
Both he and Sam are basically up the creek without a paddle here. Sam is desperately trying to keep the belief in heroes alive, like Steve did. And Bucky is trying to make amends for his sins. Both men now find themselves in a world that feels alien to them. And some of the slower parts of the show does address that. With one scene in particular regarding Bucky and of of his neighbours.
Review
I honestly loved this episode. It had it’s slow moments which hint to things that happened in other MCU movies. So I will admit: if you’ve not been paying attention, you’ll probably find those parts a little confusing. If you’ve seen them all and remember them, you’ll be fine.
The fact that neither men meet or have any interaction at all with each other the entire episode is a choice I’m sure will be like marmite. I personally loved it. Both men, basically having the same struggle but in totally different ways. It’s a show of trauma from two very different perspectives. Neither man has the same history but they feel the same pain and it shows itself so differently in both.
I gotta admit I’ve always had a love for Sam. He’s been one of my favourite characters since he was introduced. With Bucky I was “meh” he was cool and he existed but I was never an ultra fan, nor did I dislike him. I just kinda tolerated him. With just one episode of FATWS I can sense that attitude shifting. Sam is still amazing but I’m starting to really like Bucky more.
His storyline in this is just heart-breaking at certain points. I felt terrible for him. And whilst it’s normal for Sam to pretend he’s OK and brush off any trauma he has, it does show in flashes of anger and pure stubbornness at times. That’s not how Bucky is. He wears his hundred years of pain on his sleeve but never talks about it.
I cannot wait for episode two, hopefully the boys do team up. If the show focuses on it’s core strength here, the shared trauma between the two, then it’ll do fantastically.
